Revolving suspension-rack.



W. H. MARTIN.

REVOLVING SUSPENSION RACK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23.19M-

Patented Apr, 9, 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET ATTORNEYS W. H. MARTIN.

REVOLVING SUSPENSION RACK.

APPLKCATION mm NOV. 23. 1911.

Pawnted Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS INVENTOR WvfluvnMart/Jm m TED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H.MARTIN, OF VETERANS HOME, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SEBA E.BELKNAPP, OF VETERANS HOME, CALIFORNIA.

REVOLVING SUSPENSION -RACK.

Specification t Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

Application filed November 23, 1917. Serial No. 203,578.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWViLLIAM H. MARTIN, residing at Veterans Home, countyof Napa, and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Re 7 volving Suspension-Racks, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has reference to that class of suspension racks in whichis included rocks or cradles revolubly mounted upon a motor truck andadapted for holding heavy kegs, casks and the like in suspension dur ingtransporting or carting the some and in such manner that they are heldfrom. rolling off the truck as they are being eonveyed and in which theracks or cradles can be readily adjusted to turn to a position fordischarging the casks or barrels onto skids or other like runways,attachable to the sides of the truck when unloading.

"'dinong other objects, my invention has forits purpose to provide animproved redesired position, by the motor power, for

volving suspension rack of the character stated in which is included aplurality of rocks mounted upon and adapted for cooperating with asupporting shaft. and means convenient to the truck drivers seat forcoupling up the said shaft with the motor engine.

l Again, my invention has for its object the provision, in a suspensionrack of thechar actor stated, of an improved construction of crates orcradles that form a part of the revoluble racks and so held in suspension that when the rack has been guide to the discharging, the saidcradle can be freely swung by the operator to roll off the barrel orcask over that side of the motor truck at which the particular cradle tobe unloaded has been moved to the discharging point.

With other objects in view that will hereinafter be fully explained, theinvention resides in those novel features of construction, combinationand arrangement of parts, all of which will he firstlfully describcd,specifi-- callyip ointe'd outinthe appended claims and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure, 1 is a side elevation of a,motor truck equipped with my irnproved revolvjug suspension rackmechanism.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the clutch gear devices for connecting theengine shaft and the gear carrying shaft driving gear.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the truck, one of the revolving racksbeing shown mounted thereon and in the operatlve position.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the cradles hereinafterspecifically referred to.

.iig. 5 is an end elevation thereof, the same being shown at the normalposition.

Fig. 6 is an. end view thereof the same being shown at the barreldischarging posi tion.

Fig. 7 is a detail section of one end of the said cradle.

in my present construction of revolving suspension rack the same isconstructed and arranged for carrying a large load or number of heavykegs, casks and other bodies capable of being rolled during the act ofdischarging from the rack and in the drawings (Fig. l) I have shown fiveof such racks, one of which is illustrated as fully loaded with beerbarrels, the others shown empty to the better illustrate the structuralfeatures of the cradles that form an essential part of the invention.

In the present construction, a single shaft or reach member 1, isprovided that is horizontally mounted in standards 2---2 fixed on and.extending vertically from the truck frame 3, the said shaft being shownpositioned relatively to the truck frame 3 with the cradle or barrelsupporting members that form a part of the racks, presently refcrrcd to,when brought down into position for loading and unloadin substantiallyas low as the said frame, see Fig. 3, for facilitating the placing ofthe barrels onto or rolling them off the said cradles.

Each revolving rack in the nature of a wheel composed of two end disks4-4 of a large diameter, preferably six feet when the rack is providedfor carrying the very heavy kegs or casks, and the said disks 4-4 areperforated so as to reduce their weight and it has a hub 4.0 forreceiving grsct screw 41 that fixes the said wheels to the shaft 1 sothat in turning the said shaft by motor power, as presently explained,all of the several cradles will be cooperative with the shaft 1.

5 designates the motor engine, preferably located on the front end ofthe truck frame, (see Fig. 1) and adjacent the dr vers seat 50 and theshaft 51 of the said englne carr1es a'clutch gear 52 slidable by theshifting lever 53 for being moved into and out of mesh with a drivengear 54 mounted on a stub shaft 55 held in brackets 56 56 and having agrooved hub 57 for receiving the belt or chain 58 that takes over thechain wheel 59 on the rack or cradle carrying shaft 1, as is clearlyshown in Fig. 1.

Motor shaft 51 is also coupled in the usual manner with the rear truckaxle 6 for drivin the machine.

y reason of providing a clutch gear connection coiiperating with theengine shaft and slidable as'shown and described, the operator, bymanipulating the end lever can readily put the revolving ruck dcv1cesinto gear with the engine shaft to bring the racks to the desiredposition for unloading, it being understood that when the engine is tobe used for such purposes, the motor is cut out from the truck which newforms a solid base or support onto which and from which the heavy tasksor barrels may be readily rolled to discharge over the opposite sidesthereof.

As before stated, each revolving rack includes two end disks havin themonto the shaft 1 and in the present structure, the disks are joined by aseries of cross or distance rods 7 that connect with their disks attheir peripheaal. edges and the several rods 7 form the supports onwhichthe cradles are swingably suspended and -t support the barrels orkegs below the disks -ilas they pass down to the unloading positionindicated by X in Fig. 3.

The cradles or crates each comprise a concaved sheet metal receiver, inthe nature of a trough 72 that is of sufficient depth, rela- Lively tothe kegs to be held thereon, to extend far enough over the sides of thekeg ,to hold the same from rolling out of the.

cradle as it is held in suspension during the transporting and as it isbeing lowered to the keg discharging position.

The trough-like body 72 is made of heavy sheet metal and at the endsithas eonczgved filler blocks 7510f wood that form bearing members onwhich the ends of the barrel rest.

The trough '7 is swin ably suspended on distance rods 7 by flexiblemetal hangers 7 3 connected to the troughand which take over sheaves Telon rod 7, as best shown in l 'igs. 5 and G, by reference to which itwill be a so noticed that the ends of the trough are strengthened byhaving the hangers include portions 71 joined to the upper edges of thetrough ends by bolts 75 --75.

BV "eason of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts asshown and de hubs for fixing scribed, any one of the barrels may beeasily removed without interferin with the other when the cradle fromthe arrel to be discharged is brought down to the discharging point X bythe motor power, it being understood that when thus positioned, theunder set of racks are held stationary by reason of the motor powerbeing cut out and when thus held the operator, by pushing back thecradle to swing it to the position shown in Fig. 6 allows the barrel toroll out as indicated by the arrow.

By melting the body of the cradle in the nature of a sheet metal troughand providing the same with fillers of wood the Weight of the keg on thebulged portion of the cradle is taken off and the entire weight of thebarrel is transferred on the filler" blocks in the ends ofthe cradle andsuch holdinfg of the the kegs helps to easily roll them out o cradleswhen the latter are positioned as in Fig. 6. i

What I claim is 1. In a means for carting heavy kegs, barrels, and thelike. a platform, standards on the platform, a ncr-zontal shaft'ournaled in the said standards, a rack fixe ly mounted upon the saidhorizontal shaft, the said rack comprisin end disks, distance rods thatjoin the said disks and located at the periphery of said disks, cradles,devices for swingably suspending said cradles, one frorh each of thedistance rods, said cradle suspending means including shittable hangerswhereby the cradle can swing with said rod as a center and rock with thbarrel axis as a center, the diameter of the disks and the a,positioning of the cradle being relatively such with respect to the platcradles when guided into position for linuloading, are just above theplatform, to provide for rolling the barrels sidewise over'the sideedges of the said platform.

In a means for carting heavy kegs, barrels, and the like, a. theplatform, a horizontal shaft journaled in the standards, a rack fixedlymounted on the slfft, said rack comprisin end isks,

distance rods that join the sai and which are located at the peri hera-ledges ofthe said disks, a pair of shea'veh on each distance rod, acradle suspended from each of the said distance rods, said cradlesconsisting of trough like bodies for receiv ing the barrels andincluding flexible metal hangers that takeover the sheaves of thedistance rods, and whose lower ends are secured to the upper edges ofthe ends of the trough-like body.

3. In a means for carting heavy kegs barrels, and the like, a platform,standar s on the platform, a horizontal shaft that extends lengthwise ofthe platform, and is journalcd in the said standards, a rack fixedlymopnted on the shaft and comprising 'end disks,

'rm that the said.

latform, standards on-1f10 end disks.

5 tance rod, each of the cradles consisting of a sheet metal trou h likebody open at the ends, a wooden filer block in each end of the saidblocks having a concave seat that form rests for the ends of the barrelsor 10 kegs supported by the cradles, a flexible metal hanger pendentlysupported from each of the sheaves on the distance rods and whose endsextend across the upper edge of the ends of the filler portions 0 thetrough.

4. In a loading and unloadin means of the character stated, a barrel holing cradle consisting of a supporting rod :1 air of sheaves mounted oneO11 aCh en of t e said rod, a cradle consisting of a trou h-like body,and a flexible hanger endent y supported from each of the sai sheaves,said han ier including portions secured flatwise on t e upper edges ofthe trou h-like body.

WILLIAM H. i/IARTIN.

